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Elaine Hogan & Sheila Garry

The Shores Of Lough Breda is the new duet recording from Clare musicians Sheila Garry on fiddle and Elaine Hogan on harp which features the compositions of

the late, great Paddy O'Donoghue from Tulla in East Clare. The recording has, at its heart, O' Donoghue's lyrical compositions brought out sensitively and soulfully by the harp and fiddle combination. There are also a handful of other well known staples such as The Humours of Carrigaholt and Andy Mcganns No1 which add a subtle contrast to the O' Donoghue Collection. Renound bouzouki player and son of Paddy, Cyril O’Donoghue also features on the collaboration while the dynamic percussionist John Joe Kelly completes the studio ensemble. The album's unique sound is focused on the stringed layers of fiddle, harp and bouzouki providing a subtle sound, yet maintaining a striking presence throughout. This project has been the culmination of a number of years work which initially began when Sheila and Elaine met in Bunratty Castle where they were employed as castle entertainers. Their musical connection was both instantaneous and mutual. The Shores of Lough Breda was the tune which ignited the idea of a recording, and their mutual admiration for Paddy’s music lead them on a memorable journey. Sheila recalls learning The Shores of Lough Breda, a reel on the albums title track, from Paddy himself at Daly’s Bar in Ballynacally, a small village West of Ennis in the mid 1980’s where he hosted a regular Saturday night session for many years. Many of the tunes on the album feature in a publication entitled ‘Ceol an Chláir' which was published in association with the Cois na hAbhna Archive in Ennis, Co. Clare. Multi instrumentalist O' Donoghue penned his compositions over a number of years, giving pride of place to locality, local musicians and events as inspiration for his tunes. The Shores of Lough Breda is the first recording of its kind, celebrating the legacy of O' Donoghue’s music. The album had its inaugural launch at The Ennis Trad Festival and was officially introduced by Raidio na Gaeltachta broadcaster Aine Hensey.